Sources: College Football Playoff Expands To 478 Team Format in '27, ESPN Still Debating Whether That's Enough

TEXAS–The College Football Playoff is nearing a deal to expand the field to 478 teams in 2027, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

While final details have yet to be announced, discussions about the 478-team field have included every FBS, FCS, Division 2, Division 3, NAIA, Juco, 19 at-large bids from Texas high schools, Pop Warner and church flag leagues (as long as they are Southern Baptist), as well as the highest-ranked WNBA team.

“Hell, some of those girl power forwards could give Joey Bosa a run for his money,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said from his office. “We want to see the best team win, regardless of gender or what sport they normally play.”

Sankey was adamant on stamping down questions of motive for this expansion. “This isn’t about money,” Sankey guffawed while lighting a cigar with a $1,000 dollar bill. “It’s what the fans want.”

When reminded that many fans do not in fact want this, Sankey replied, “As any red-blooded American who is not a vegan that visited a sorority house in college knows, ‘no’ doesn’t always mean ‘no’, amirite? They said they didn’t want 24/7 Pat McAfee but we forced it on them anyway and the fans couldn’t be happier.”

The New Year’s Six bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Peach, Orange and Cotton) are still expected to host the quarterfinals and semifinals. Because the season would be extended significantly to accommodate all 477 playoff games, the national championship game would be pushed from its current January spot to Thanksgiving Day during the following season. So that means the 2027 national champion will be determined during the 2028 football season.

Under the proposed plan, teams seeded Nos. 1 through 128 would earn a first-round bye followed by a home game. (The No. 1 seed would face the winner of No. 478 vs. No. 128, the No. 2 seed would face the winner of No. 477 vs. No. 127 and so on). Teams hovering around No. 130 and No. 131 would want to move up so they can host a first-round home game, while teams in the bottom 250 are constantly trying to stay in the field or protect their spot.

At press time, ESPN and the CFP were considering whether or not to add even more teams to the field of 478, including the Little League World Series champion, the Harlem Globetrotters and a herd of buffalo.